Again, looks like an 'outstanding' job done by local 'law enforcement'

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THAT'S WHY THEY HAD THE MEDIA POOLSubmitted by Ruth Fowler on Wed, 11/30/2011 - 6:17am

I was in the inner arrestee circle in Solidarity Park until the very last minute. I tweeted continually from 9pm until 5.30am, yet I have seven hours of tweets missing from my twitter feed. I was in the Park when the Police came in from within City Hall. They were not violent. Neither were we. They called unlawful assembly.

No bad treatment of protestors occurred while the mainstream media was watching - it was only at the end that this occurred, when the non pool reporters were separated from the pool media, and the reporters not in the pool were shoved and hit by cops.

At this point I left, but other non-pool media refused to leave and wanted to stay reporting on the scene. Jared Iorio, our photographer, stayed for fifteen minutes after me and was hit repeatedly (twice) in the chest with a baton by a policeman until he left Solidarity Park. He joined a group of about 600 people on 1st and Main. After half an hour of being pushed back, the police called an unlawful assembly over the megaphone, and asked us to move or we would be arrested.

Approximately 300 of us walked down 1st towards Los Angeles, leaving 300 left standing by the cops. The police moved in after us, and kettled the 300 left behind. Seeing this, we ran, as a group, a couple of blocks to get away from them, losing people all along the way. Then suddenly a group of police emerged. We were blocked (kettled) in on Alameda between second and first. The police started running towards us - the group was now about 100 people by this point - and everyone ran into a parking lot to escape. The police ran after them and started beating protestors with batons repeatedly as they were running away trying to escape. I saw about ten police hit protestors. I did not get video footage nor photographs as I was running.

Jared, me and three others escaped up first street and ran to Skid Row. None of the protestors I was with had been violent, none had destroyed property, none were even tormenting the police. They were running away from the scene, trying to avoid being kettled by the police. The violence I witnessed was pretty intense. Those cops were pissed and wanted to hurt people. They were running and beating people who were simply RUNNING away, trying to escape!

I sent this to The Guardian and The LA Times just now. It's not well written. But it highlights the frighteningly militant tactics enacted by LAPD tonight. The Media Pool I revealed late last night, written about in this great LA Weekly article, and on the front page of yesterday's Los Angeles Times:

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The city's concern about its image was underscored Monday when police announced they would be allowing only a small group of print, television and radio journalists past police lines when the eviction is finally carried out. Police said the rules were to protect journalists from being harmed during the operation.

This media pool drew mainstream media into the inner circle, where they were treated to a display of courteous policing and nonviolence by the police. Even I was impressed by the police. The operation was smooth and efficient and tactical.

Then the pool media was divided from the regular media, and kept in the inner circle. They were not present to witness the brutality and violence enacted by LAPD officers who were kettling and running after protestors in order to beat them outside the park and mainstream media attention. LAPD smoothly kept MSM from witnessing this, and tried to control other media by constant kettling and dividing of the crowd. The Mainstream Media were deliberately obstructed from reporting, and were complicit in their own silencing - as this updated extract from the LA Weekly makes horrifically clear:

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Update No. 4: So KCAL9 was running an awesome aerial live stream of the massive deployment of 1,000-plus LAPD officers from Dodger Stadium to City Hall. But then -- get this -- they reportedly stopped the stream because they had "made an agreement with LAPD not to reveal their tactics," and wanted to protect the integrity of the operation.

Tonight was tactical, it was efficient - and it quite clearly violated our First Amendment Rights, not only by violating our right to petition for a redress of grievances, but by manipulating and censoring the media, so that they were unable to cover the violence and abuses being carried out by the LAPD on peaceful protestors not under the MSM's eye.

Tonight has radicalized many people, and highlighted the true nature of City Council, LAPD and Mayor Villaraigosa. Villaraigosa is an expert politician, who has no interest in our grievances, our demands and our movement. He, like so many Angelenos in the Film Industry, only cares about portraying the necessary image to advance his own agenda. When the cameras are turned off, he doesn't need to act anymore. And then the violence and abuse starts.

The bolded, italicized part is what I fear it happening across the country. Sure the police 'think' they're doing the right thing, and they might be, however it is in the WAY it is being done that is wrong IMO. If this report is true, then I am indeed concerned about the lawlessness the LAPD has displayed. And perhaps the larger issue is that IF they (LAPD) did indeed break the law, do you think anything will happen? will anyone get charged? any 'heads roll'? Nope, not at all. AND THAT my friend is why we have thousands of people protesting across our great land. If you can't see what is going on, beyond the 'reports' (from MSM none-the-less - interesting how they get support when needed or convenient, huh?) then I don't know what to tell you.

_________________

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Detroit vs. EverybodyClowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right....

November 30th, 2011, 5:08 pm

wjb21ndtown

Re: Occupy Wall Street

If these "beatings" took place there would be injured people at the hospital and lawsuits abound. I don't buy it for a minute.

When the police called "unlawful assembly" and told them to disperse, they should have done as they were told. Since they did not, I have absolutely ZERO sympathy for them. You break the law, you suffer the consequences. Perhaps they'll learn from this experience, but somehow, I doubt it.

Also, I would hardly call an article from the occupylosangeles website an unbiased account of what actually happened.

Santa Cruz police, clad in riot gear, moved to clear demonstrators from a vacant building taken over by Occupy Santa Cruz demonstrators late Wednesday afternoon.

Occupy Santa Cruz members and other demonstrators made entry into the former Coast Commercial Bank building at 75 River St. late Wednesday afternoon and hung an "Oocupy (sic) Everything" banner from the roof.

Just after 6 p.m., about 30 officers attempted to secure the entrance to the former Coast Commercial Bank building as demonstrators barricaded themselves from the inside using office furniture.

According to Zach Friend, spokesman for the police department, the officers were trying to secure the entrance so no additional people would go in and they were hoping to have a dialogue with the people inside.

Shouting "pigs get out" and "we are the 99 percent" demonstrators outside the building linked arms and moved toward the police. Police eventually backed up and moved away as demonstrators cheered and chanted.

Police left the scene because they didn't think it was safe, said Friend.

"We will evaluate new ways to open communication and hopefully this group isn't representative of a new aggressive movement," Friend said.

Earlier in the afternoon, demonstrators had rallied outside the Chase Bank on Ocean Street before moving to 75 River St. The activity caused traffic delays at River and Water streets near downtown. Police blocked off part of South River Street between Water Street and Soquel Avenue, but reopened the street just before 8 p.m.

The demonstrators took over the building as a response to the economic crisis, predatory lending and the foreclosure crisis.

"We think private property just sitting there useless is immoral," said demonstrator Mark Paschal. "It's just taunting those on the verge of foreclosure and struggling economically."

There were mixed opinions about whether the actions represented Occupy Santa Cruz as a whole. In a release issued Wednesday afternoon, it was stated that the actions were taken by a group of demonstrators "in solidarity with Occupy Santa Cruz."

"The formerly vacant building at 75 River St. is being re-purposed by an autonomous group, in solidarity with Occupy Santa Cruz," stated the release. The group has taken the building "with intentions of using the space in a productive way that benefits the community of Santa Cruz."

If police were to return Wednesday night, "the plan is for the occupiers inside the building to continue to barricade themselves in and for those of us outside to give the police as much passive resistance as possible," said Steve Pleich.

Monday, Occupy Santa Cruz sent a letter this week to the County Board of Supervisors asking for a moratorium on foreclosures and evictions, citing a history of bank fraud and a recent increase in home foreclosures and evictions.

Supervisors John Leopold and Neal Coonerty said Wednesday that they hadn't seen the letter yet and could not comment. Supervisors Mark Stone, Ellen Pirie and Greg Caput could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Dead Movement Walking: Top Six Signs the Left And Mainstream Media Have Hung Occupy Out to DryPosted by John Nolte Dec 1st 2011 at 1:52 pm

Let’s back up a little bit before we get to the list…

A few weeks ago in Denver I had the opportunity for some up close and personal time with the Occupy movement, and what I saw was about what you would expect. These are marginal and marginally intelligent people who have grown up conditioned by public educators and the welfare state to believe that they’re something special and entitled to the good life just because they’re special and entitled to the good life. And they’ve also been brainwashed to believe that if America doesn’t acknowledge their specialness and if, indeed, they’re not enjoying the good life, the problem must be a corrupt America.

Occupy is all about greed, self-actualization, and narcissism. The fastest and easiest way to feel superior is to assume the role of a victim … because a victim is always superior to his or her oppressors.

Occupy is also an army the left and Alinksy-style community organizers like Barack Obama have been breeding for decades. The formula is simple: feed enough self-esteem to those who don’t deserve it and you create an entire generation of entitled crybabies desperate to direct the frustration of their unfulfilled lives at whomever.

The left thought they had found the right moment to launch their Army of the Frustrated. With Obama’s poll numbers in the tank and the crippled economy unable to leap on a white stallion to save him, the idea was to launch Occupy in the hopes it would change the 2012 election conversation and media narrative from Obama’s failed record to ground upon which he might be able to win reelection: income inequality and those evil one-percenters on Wall Street who destroyed the economy.

And so the filthy, frustrated, and brain-fried, under the direction of their Adbuster Masters (more about this below), took to the streets, and for a few weeks the plan went perfectly. High-profile Democrats, including President Obama, endorsed and encouraged them, while the corrupt MSM worked overtime to cover up the movement’s hundreds of subhuman misdeeds (literally) and held it up as an example of all that is pure and righteous in America.

But then something happened the left and their media allies didn’t expect. They had woefully underestimated the power of New Media to expose the truth, and expose the truth we did, until the Occupy dream all came crashing down in an overwhelming narrative (overwhelming because it was true) involving Occupy’s frightening tolerance for rape, violence, vandalism, and public masturbation and defecation.

Occupy Wall Street was a pretty important pre-season game leading up to the 2012 election, and Obama and his Media Palace Guards haven’t even started licking their wounds from the New Media rectum kicking they took. And the bad news for Occupiers is that they’re now scampering off the field, tail tucked between their legs, and desperate to untie themselves from the political liability these Occupiers have become.

If you don’t believe me, Occupy, here are six undeniable signs that the same media and leftist elites who promised you air cover in the revolution that would finally fulfill your frustrated dreams have just left you swinging in the wind, fully exposed and more than a little humiliated with nowhere to go:

1. MSM Is No Longer Infatuated With Occupy: Other than the big stories surrounding Occupy evictions, the mainstream media’s all but stopped covering the Occupy movement. 12 to 14 hours a day the cable nets are on in my office, and even leftist CNN and far-left MSNBC have ceased trying to use the Occupiers as a way to jump-start Obama-friendly narratives about taxing the rich and how Wall Street is to blame for Obama’s failed economy.

No more on-the-street profiles of earnest young Occupy faces just looking to make the world a more fair and equal place.

And I can pinpoint the day this occurred. The day after GOP presidential front-runner Newt Gingrich suggested Occupy take a bath and get a job, both CNN and MSNBC went apoplectic in the hopes this “ugly” statement would backfire on the Speaker. When just the opposite happened, that was pretty much all the proof the left-wing media needed that Occupy was hurting the left, not helping.

2. Jon Stewart Guts Occupy: On November 17, “The Daily Show” took the “cool” out of Occupy with a devastating report (see above) that exposed the movement for the Orwellian Animal Farm these kinds of movements always become (which of course was Orwell’s point). No one in media understood better how useful this movement could’ve been to Barack Obama than Jon Stewart, but he’s also smart enough to know when it’s time to fire off a flare warning Obama to stay away — and that’s exactly what this segment was meant to do, and did.

3. AP Pretends Democrats Never Supported Occupy: On November 18, the Associated Press laughably and transparently attempted to memory-hole the Democrats’ very public and energetic embrace of all things Occupy.

Gee, I wonder why?

4. Slate Freaks Over Ad Connecting High-Profile Democrat To Occupy: Slate’s Libby Copeland was so panicked over a political ad that truthfully and effectively laid out Elizabeth Warren’s once-proud connection to the Occupy movement that she made a public fool of herself labeling the ad as “sexist.”

That’s desperate. And more than a little funny.

5. New Yorker Bares Occupy’s Astro-turf For the World To See: Even though Big Government exposed all of this over a month ago, the fact that the New Yorker would, in a major feature piece, finally put to bed the lie that Occupy was just some sort of organic, grassroots organization like the Tea Party, is the final nail in the movement’s coffin.

After all, someone has to take the blame for this.

6. Liberal Cities Evict Occupy: Mayors of some of the most liberal cities in America (Oakland, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia) are playing Bull Connor to all those wonderful little hippies who only want “social justice.” Furthermore, in their latest reports, the MSM has even stopped trying to make the cops look bad during these evictions. The coverage can best be described as obligatory.

Democratic mayors of big, urban liberal cities don’t evict popular movements, do they? They wouldn’t even evict a movement popular with the Obama’s base.

Don’t get me wrong; this doesn’t mean I’m going to stop ridiculing them, but as you look over the lay of the land, it’s hard not to feel a little sorry for Occupy Wall Street. They’re really just useful idiots and aggrieved Frankenstein monsters raised on promises their statist creators never intended to keep. And now that they’ve raped, pooped, and vandalized themselves into a political liability for their creators, they might actually have to take a bath and get a job.

“Passionate, organized hatred is the element missing in all that we do to try to change the world. Now is the time to spread hate — hatred for the rich.” — Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, March 2007

IF ONE VIEWS the Occupy Wall Street movement on its ability to spread its convoluted message and draw support, as well as the undeserved positive publicity it has received, one has to admit it has been astoundingly successful in a way few modern movements can boast.

Indeed, those who planned the multiple demonstrations to appear as spontaneous grassroots uprisings must be celebrating their success. Not only have they delivered their message, they have drawn the support of many Democratic politicos who see them not only as potential votes but as so many useful idiots, to borrow a phrase. One area of particular success for the organizers is in deluding and taking advantage of the ignorance of idealism of the youth caught up in the demonstrations. A second is in masking from the general public the people who have influenced the leaders of the OWS movement.

For a clear indication of who these influencers are, visit OrganizeBoston.com and check out the speakers in the Howard Zinn guest lecturer program:

• Nov. 16: Paul Le Blanc, former member of the U.S. Socialist Workers Party and long-time anti-war, anti-racism activist in Pittsburgh; also a professor at La Roche College. Recent book: “Marx, Lenin, and the Revolutionary Experience.” Favorite quote: “The ideas of Lenin, if properly utilized, can be vital resources for challenging the exploitation of humanity and degradation of our planet.”

• Nov. 29: Bruno Bosteels, professor of romance studies at Cornell University. Books include “The Actuality of Communism” and “Marx and Freud in Latin America.” Favorite quote: “If the term (Marxism) is not used pejoratively … leftists can also positively claim to embody the genuine movement of communism in the wake of the decline and fall of the Soviet Union.”

• Nov. 17: Noel Ignatiev, professor of history at Massachusetts College of Art, author of “How the Irish Became White” and past member of the Communist Party USA, the Students for a Democratic Society and the Maoist New Communist Movement. Ignatiev’s website’s motto: “Treason to ‘whiteness’ is loyalty to humanity.” (His use of “whiteness” refers not so much to skin color but to the fact that the world is owned and controlled by a white 1 percent.)

• Nov. 4: Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, American academic, educator, feminist activist and writer. She was active in the anti-Vietnam War and radical left movements such as the SDS and the Weather Underground (the domestic terrorist group to which William Ayers belonged).

The people listed above are a representative sampling of the guest speakers sponsored by Occupy Boston, a group that claims to support democracy. As a point of clarity, none of the above lecturers openly advocate obtaining control of the country through a nondemocratic process; indeed, they all seem to believe that the democratic process needs to be a part of bringing forward a new paradigm — one in line with their Marxist beliefs.

Bosteel seems to typify the thinking of the leaders of the OWS. His view is that Marxism suffers not from being a bad idea but rather from bad management of past leadership. Of course this ignores several realities, including the central question: How are those who disagree with the ideology to be handled?

Confronted with this quandary, surely those in the OWS would not support actions by Marxist/socialist regimes of the past, but rather would impose their ideology on the unwilling through the power of the vote. In simpler terms, once they overthrow the oppressors they will oppress those who stood in their way.

But to achieve goals not clearly defined, they must not openly advocate their true intentions to the general public. As they endeavor to destroy — so as to prepare to rebuild — they must market their movement under false flags, complete with Madison Avenue slogans (“We are the 99%”) and misdirected anger.

The generation that came of age in the era of Hoovervilles later became known as the Greatest Generation in part by learning to want little while giving a lot. They wanted opportunity, which was not a lot to ask. All they did ask from the government was a fair shake. In World War II, they demonstrated the price they were willing to pay for it.

Those coming of age in this era of Occupy’s Obamavilles are not asking for an opportunity, nor do they demonstrate the price they are willing to pay or the sacrifices they will make. Instead, they are demanding it, and if they cannot earn it because of obstacles more self-perceived than real, they are going to take it.

They do not feel a living is earned; they believe it to be a right. They do not see the government as the entity that ensures fairness of opportunity; they see it as the provider of opportunity. And they see the state as the entity that determines how big a piece of the pie everyone deserves — a division not based on contribution but on “fairness.”

Most crucially, they feel they are best suited to determine how fairness is defined.

DENTON (CBSDFW.COM) – A man was found dead inside a tent at the Occupy Denton campsite on the University of North Texas campus Saturday afternoon, spokesman Buddy Price said.

University spokeswoman Deborah Leliaert said someone called police at 4:45 p.m. to report the body.

Price said UNT Police has launched an investigation into the death. He did not have the man’s name or age and would not say whether he was a UNT student, only describing him as a white male. Before referring CBS 11 to UNT Police, Denton Police spokesman Lenn Carter said in an email that the man was 23-years-old.

Leliaert confirmed the man’s age and said the encampment was otherwise unoccupied because of the rainy weather. Police secured the scene after the body was found.

UNT Police have not responded to requests for comment. The Occupy campsite is located near the Art Building on the northeast side of campus. Campus police are the lead investigators because the death happened on school grounds, Carter said.

Although the camp was not populated when police found the man’s body, The North Texas Daily reported Friday that about 35 students and supporters spent two hours with the City Council at City Hall during a Thursday evening meeting. A status update on the university’s Facebook page said there were eight tents at the encampment when the man’s body was found.

Authorities are unsure how the man died but did not suspect foul play. Cause of death is pending an autopsy by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner.

Demonstrators with Occupy Wall Street began a hunger strike today, demanding an outdoor space by a New York City church for a new occupation two weeks after being evicted from their encampment nearby.

Protesters said they are seeking sanctuary on a vacant lot owned by Trinity Church, which is located at the intersection of Wall Street and Broadway.

“The is a chance for Trinity to definitely decide whether they’re a church or real estate company,” protester Diego Ibanez said.

The strike will be held at Duarte Square on Sixth Avenue and Canal Street in lower Manhattan, and the protest organizers said the hunger strike would be continued in jail if demonstrators are arrested.

“If we do get arrested, which seems most likely like we will be, we will continue the strike in jail,” Ibanez said.

The weather has changed since Occupy Wall Street began its activities on Sept. 17, but Ibanez said he and other hunger strikers are prepared for the winter weather.

“Definitely cold, it’s getting a lot colder lately, but I’m wearing a bunch of layers, that’s like for sure,” he said.

The New York Occupy protesters said they hope that other Occupy groups around the country that have been forced out of their encampments will join them in the hunger strike, to make that a national movement as well.

“We’re definitely going to call for more people to join us throughout the week, with solidarity hunger strikes,” Ibanez said.

According to the statement from occupywallstreet.org, the hunger strike is not only about getting a new site for the demonstrators, but about keeping the movement alive in the face of “government-enacted violence and repression.”

“I am definitely worried about being hungry and being sick, that’s definitely crossing my mind but I am more worried about people being apathetic,” Ibanez said.

A group at the Occupy Hartford campsite, including the victim, tried to keep a sex assault quiet, police said.

Police received an anonymous call Thursday reporting the sex assault at the Occupy Hartford site in Turning Point Park on Broad Street.

Investigating officers located the victim, a woman who told them a man aggressively kissed her neck and groped her breasts against her wishes. Several others at the campsite intervened and the suspect ran off, she told police.

When asked why no one from Occupy Hartford, including the victim, reported the sex assault to police, they told officers they did not want to draw any negative attention to their cause.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic male, 5’5” and weighing 130 pounds. He was wearing a black coat and jeans. It was unclear if the suspect was an Occupy activist or someone who just came into the campsite.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- At least 85 people were arrested as police cleared San Francisco's Occupy encampment early Wednesday, police said.

Officials had not compiled exact numbers by Wednesday afternoon, but most of the approximately 85 people were cited and released after the daybreak raid, said Officer Albie Esparza.

About 15 people who were arrested on a variety of charges, ranging from resisting arrest to assault with a deadly weapon, were still in custody, Esparza said.

More than 100 officers carried out the raid, Esparza said. Afterward, officers blocked access to the former camp site as trash crews raked up paper and plastic bottles, removed chairs and other belongings that had accumulated there over the past two months, and pressure-washed the sidewalks.

A handful of protesters stood by, occasionally jeering at officers but otherwise heeding their instructions to stay back.

Most of the officers left the site later in the day.

About 200 protesters gathered in front of the Federal Reserve Bank near the former Occupy site in the afternoon, blocking a busy thoroughfare ahead of a planned march.

The raid began around 1 a.m., when dozens of police cars, fire engines and ambulances surrounded the campsite at Justin Herman Plaza and blocked off the area. City officials previously declared the site a public health nuisance.

Police didn't immediately say how many people were in the plaza at the time, but campers put the estimate at 150.

"Most of the protesters went peacefully," but one officer received minor injuries when two people threw a chair that cracked his face shield, said Esparza.

Jack Martin of San Francisco said he was trying to leave the plaza when he was zip-tied, taken to a police station, cited and released. Officers trashed his tent and personal belongings, he said.

"Everything I owned is gone," said Martin, 51, as tears welled up in his eyes. "My medicine, my paper for my Social Security."

He yelled at a line of officers blocking the plaza, "I was trying to get out of your way!"

Martin said he lost his job as a building manager and had moved into a hostel until about five weeks ago, when he ran out of money. Asked what he planned to do next, he replied, "Occupy, occupy, occupy, occupy."

Richard Kriedler with Occupy SF said some protesters were injured, but he didn't have the details.

"This is a very emotional town. We have anarchists, we have very emotional people that this is not going to go over well with, and this could have been handled a lot better," he said.

"A much more simple way to do it would have been direct contact with the mayor and city officials here with us, and even though they've been invited many times, they didn't come."

But San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr said the people at the campsite with whom officials had been holding discussions were no longer there.

In a statement, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said the city had taken a "measured and balanced approach," including making an alternate site available to protesters. That site -- an abandoned school in the Mission district -- included a parking lot where the protesters could maintain their encampment, a classroom for meetings, and two bathrooms.

The city had taken out a six-month lease on the property and offered to send city trucks to help the occupiers move to the new location. It had given the protesters until Dec. 1 to leave Justin Herman Plaza.

In his statement, Lee said the city had negotiated with Occupy leadership in "good faith."

"But unfortunately, communication with the liaison team designated by Occupy SF deteriorated to a point where it was clear that no progress could be made," he said.

Kris Sullivan, 31, from Akron, Ohio, said many campers were sleeping and were taken by surprise during the raid. Sullivan, who said he had been at the camp for about two months, got his tent out but lost his pillow, mattress, blanket and another tent.

"They didn't even give much time for anyone to get out. They handled it really badly. They could have given us a warning or some sort of eviction notice," he said.

The tent city was set up in mid-October to protest bank bailouts and economic injustice.

Gene Doherty, 47, an Occupy protester who was not present during the raid but watched it on a live streaming website, said the Occupy protesters planned a noon rally at the site and still had several "mobile occupations" throughout the city.

"We will come back and reoccupy," Doherty said. "A large segment of our community has no other options. They don't have a home to go back to; this was their home."

Protesters will continue to "send a message that this is our right to protest, our right to assemble, and to talk about the economic injustices in the world," he said.

I like how an Occu-Crybaby complained that they didn't get any notice about the raid. Well, they were told to leave by December 1st, and when they didn't, they should have expected a raid at any time. Idiots.

Baltimore Police say a 24-year-old woman was stabbed during a dispute around midnight Saturday at the Occupy Baltimore encampment at the Inner Harbor.

According to a police report, officers arrived at McKeldin Square just after midnight for a report of an assault and spoke to the victim, who said she and 23-year-old Desiree Nicholson had gotten into an argument “because [Nicholson] was not taking care of her cat,” according to report.

She said Nicholson kicked her in the stomach, and then stabbed her on her arm and thigh with a knife. The victim was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital for treatment, police said.

Nicholson, who police said lives in Halethorpe, was charged with first-degree assault and was being held on $75,000 bond. According to court records, she does not have a prior criminal record.

The Occupy protest, a local offshoot of the Occupy Wall Street movement that seeks to call attention to income inequality and other issues, recently reached its two month anniversary. But it has struggled at times deal with a dwindling number of core leaders, the seemingly imminent threat of eviction, and allegations of crime and drug use among some who have frequented the encampment.

Organizer Annemarie Rush said the victim and suspect have been staying at the site for “quite some time, but they are not considered to be active participants in our greater goals.”

“We have attracted a wide array of different parts of Baltimore, and different people who feel they have been disenfranchised,” Rush said. “That also includes all of the problems that come with Baltimore and society in general.”

She said organizers were “horrified” by the stabbing and said the suspect was not welcome back. "We don’t condone their actions at all,” she said.

As police across the country have evicted protesters – in some cases leading to ugly clashes and claims of police brutality – officials here have largely taken a hands-off approach, denying permits for using the park but saying they would enforce that denial “at a time of our choosing.”

“The City of Baltimore is committed to protecting individuals’ right to protest. However, permanent camping is prohibited in our public parks and individuals are free to peaceably assemble and demonstrate within the currently established guidelines. The city has repeatedly communicated this to individuals on-site,” said Ryan O’Doherty, a spokesman for Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

He added that the city would “fully investigate any individual acts of dangerous criminal behavior and take immediate action.”

In their two months at the Inner Harbor, the group has taken part in various protests and sought to spur public dialogue about social issues. One homeless recently woman told the City Council that the encampment had been “accommodating in ways the city hasn’t been.”

But previous allegations of theft and assault have roiled the group. At meetings of participants, called “general assemblies,” speakers have in the past openly questioned whether they could maintain control of the diverse community.

Rush said organizers have no plan to leave. “This is just the first step in the Occupy movement,” she said.

An earlier version of this article quoted organizers saying the victim and suspect were still welcome at the encampment. Rush said that is not the case.

Police tied ropes around several Occupy DC protesters and plucked them off the roof of a temporary structure in the McPherson Square on Sunday night, capping a contentious day between law enforcement and demonstrators.

At the end of Sunday night, 31 had been taken into police custody.

The clash was set off by an approximately 20-foot-high structure, built by protesters overnight Saturday without a permit. Park Police declared the shack-like structure a safety hazard and ordered it removed Sunday.

Spokesperson Sgt. David Schlosser told News4: "Park Police and the National Park Service firmly support people's first amendment rights to assemble and to seek redress from their government. In this instance, the issue is a life safety issue, the structural integrity of the building."

The Occupy DC group insisted that the structure, constructed out of plywood and 2x4's, met health and safety requirements.

The City Paper's Lydia DePillis reports that one of the structure's architects, Cecelia Azerduy, dubbed it "the People's Pentagon."

In a statement, Occupy DC called the shed, "a prefabricated wooden structure ... designed by professional architects and engineers to provide shelter, warmth and space for General Assemblies during the winter months."

On Sunday morning, Park Police gave protesters one hour to dismantle the structure, but their request was initially refused. A few protesters began scuffling with police, after which several arrests were made. Officers on horseback were also seen pushing the crowd back.

By the end of Sunday night, authorities charged 15 with crossing a police line. Sixteen people were charged with disobeying an official order.

Late Sunday, six people who refused to leave the wooden shed had to be removed from the top of the structure with a cherry picker truck. One of the protesters was charged with urinating off of a structure, indecent exposure and resisting arrest.

Several protesters left the top of the structure by diving through the air on to an inflatable cushion set up by police.

In total, 31 were taken into custody.

On Monday morning, a larger-than-normal police presence was visible in the park.

PORTLAND -- Nineteen Occupy Portland demonstrators were arrested in a clash with police Saturday night after the protesters set up tents in the downtown Park Blocks in defiance of city rules.

Sunday morning the group claimed on its website that 30 campers had stayed overnight and one tent remained as "a symbol our right to free speech and assembly as well as a request that the city end the camping ban and the marginalization of the un-housed."

The protests had started with a rally at Salmon Springs fountain around 2 p.m. Saturday, followed by a march through downtown Portland that ended in an area of the Park Blocks known as Shemanski Park.

The Occupy Portland website then declared, "We have a park!" It said "the kitchen is open" and invited the public to bring love, tents, sleeping bags and snacks. They began referring to the area as "Our Park."

Protest spokesman Jordan LeDoux told the Associated Press that having a camp provided a place for demonstrators to focus their efforts and engage the public.No permits were filed for the march, according to Portland Police Sgt. Pete Simpson. He added no police presence was necessary until demonstrators blocked SW Broadway Avenue and interfered with TriMet traffic during the march.

Around 8:30 p.m., police said the park was officially closed and anyone trying to camp there overnight would be moved. A statement from the parks department also warned Occupy Portland that police would enforce park rules.

"Parks employees and police went into the park to enforce park rules against structures and were met with hostility and aggressive behavior," Simpson said. "Normal park hours are from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. but due to the unsafe conditions and aggressive behavior by some demonstrators, the parks were ordered closed early."

Police wearing riot gear moved in and there was some pushing and shoving between the protesters and police, witnesses said.

Demonstrators were ordered to leave the area and Simpson said many left the park without incident, but some remained and were defiant with police.

Nineteen people who refused to leave or resisted were arrested, held with flex cuffs and hauled away by police. Fourteen were cited to appear in court on charges of criminal trespass and interfering with a police officer and released. Five were booked into Multnomah County Jail.

40-year-old Troy Anthony Thompson was charged with criminal mischief and criminal trespassing after he climbed onto the City Hall roof during the march.

Authorities last month evicted demonstrators who had camped in two downtown parks for more than a month. Those parks, Chapman and Lownsdale Squares, remained fenced for weeks afterward. Damage to the parks was estimated at nearly $86,000.

Mon Dec 5 2011 3:08 PM Nine more Occupy San Diego protesters were arrested Monday, pushing the total to more than 100 since the protest began Oct. 7, officials said.

The nine were attempting to pitch tents in the civic plaza behind City Hall, where police are enforcing a municipal code ordinance banning camping in public places. A federal judge last week rejected a request from Occupy San Diego protesters to restrain the police from enforcing the ordinance.

One of the nine had to be plucked from a tree, police said.

The San Diego Police Department has put the cost of law enforcement related to the Occupy protest at more than $2.4 million. The figure includes salaries and overtime.

Organizers of the Occupy Pittsburgh tent encampment said today they are "seizing" the BNY Mellon's privately owned park in Downtown, will rename it "People's Park," and will serve BNY Mellon with an eviction notice Monday.

Jeff Cech, 28, of Greenfield, one of the organizers, made this announcement at a press conference late this morning.

Members of the protest movement at Mellon Green said they will not be moved from the Downtown park and instead are cleaning and winterizing the site as part of their plan to stay at least through winter.

They said that even if the police show up to enforce an order issued Friday by BNY Mellon that they leave the park by noon today, the protesters have no intention of complying. There was no police presence on site this morning.

Ken Miller, 38, of the North Side, said he expects occupiers will win their fight in court.

Volunteers and occupiers this morning were moving tents to one side of the park and cleaning up muddy, wet cardboard, pallets and particle board that had served as the foundation for their tents. They also are raking away debris and replacing it with fresh material.

Occupants were served with notices from the financial company on Friday night that they must remove their tents, other structures and personal items, citing concerns about "all aspects of personal safety. These concerns are heightened by reported incidents of hypothermia and the use of propane heaters, gasoline powered generators and other flammable devices in the confined spaces of tents."

After today's deadline, "overnight camping and the presence of any structures, camping equipment and stored personal items will be prohibited and considered an unlawful trespass, which we will seek to remedy by filing for injunctive relief with the court on Monday," said the notice. Notices were also posted on stakes at the four corners of the property, but had disappeared by yesterday morning.

One Occupy Pittsburgh organizer, Helen Gerhardt, 45, of Point Breeze, said yesterday that no generators or other flammable devices are on the site.

She said that some occupiers would practice civil disobedience if attempts were made to remove the group, but noted that the demonstrators believes they are within their legal rights to stay there.

Ron Gruendl, a spokesman for BNY Mellon, yesterday said, "Our support for free speech has never wavered. As we repair our property and close the park for the winter, we hope the city will make sure there is always public space available in Pittsburgh for peaceful assembly."

Noon today marked the deadline set by BNY Mellon for the Occupy Pittsburgh demonstrators to remove their tents and other structures from the company's privately-owned park at Sixth and Grant streets, Downtown. The demonstrators have been camping at the location, Mellon Green, since Oct. 15.

A little after noon, several dozen occupiers, including many union members, were gathered outside the encampment at Sixth Avenue and Grant Street in anticipation of police attempts to oust them.